The amount of desk space within arm's reach of a seated person is significantly limited, and for convenience, people typically want to place as many objects possible in this relatively small space directly in front of them. For many people, the single largest space consuming item is a computer and associated peripheral devices, which typically include a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse pad, in addition to the housing for the computer itself. Material to be entered into the computer is typically placed to one side of the keyboard, and the mouse pad is typically placed to the opposite side of the keyboard. For a person seated in a chair in front of the computer arrangement described above, the only remaining desk space immediately within reach is often limited to six inches or so beyond the material to be entered and six inches or so around two sides of the mouse pad.
Most people tend to drink a beverage while working for any extended period of time at their desk, so a beverage container, such as a coffee mug or pop can is often another of the objects placed within arm's reach. Most people also tend to use the same hand for drinking that they use in operating the computer mouse. Also, most people see the wisdom of keeping their beverage a safe distance from the material to be entered into the computer. Accordingly, a significant number of people keep their beverage container near their mouse pad. People are also conditioned not to place a beverage container directly on a table top or desktop simply to avoid the risk of leaving water marks on the desktop. Thus, regardless of the amount of desk space available, many people keep their beverage container directly on top of their mouse pad.
One problem or potential problem with the behavior or tendencies discussed above is that a conventional mouse pad is neither specifically designed nor ideally suited for supporting a beverage container. For example, water can condense on the outside of the beverage container, run down onto the mouse pad, and damage the mouse or otherwise hinder its operation. Another problem or potential problem is that operation of the mouse can result in accidental disruption of the contents of the beverage container and spillage of the beverage. Thus, a need exists for reliable storage of a beverage container on or near a mouse pad. Ideally, a solution to these problems should be inexpensive to implement and effective in use.
The cord that connects the mouse to the computer not only creates a risk of disrupting the contents of a beverage container, but also can hinder operation of the mouse. For example, during operation of a mouse, the cord sometimes becomes caught on other objects on or near the desktop, including loops of the cord itself, beverage containers, and the edges of the mouse pad. The mouse cord also places undesirable drag on the mouse when, for example, the cord hangs over an edge of the desktop. Thus, there also exists a need for preventing the mouse cord from interfering with efficient operation of the mouse and/or from increasing the likelihood of accidents as a result of such operation.